UKC

This post is for anyone who reads the criminal law threads and is wondering why they haven’t seen Mike Redmayne posting lately; I’m afraid he’s just died of cancer at the age of 47.

Mike was a professor of law at LSE, but you would never have known that from his posts, which, while authoritative, were always balanced, calm, intelligent, reasonable, humble and polite – the leitmotifs of his character. I used to talk about law with him in the pub: he treated my utterly uninformed views on his subject as if I were an equal who happened by chance to know less than him; it was somehow a shock to go to the launch of his book Character in the Criminal Trial shortly before he died and see how revered his opinions were in his own community. He wrote in the same way he was as a person; well, clearly, unshowily and tenaciously.

He came late to climbing, and never met people who climbed hard enough at the right time in his life to exploit his potential fully: his hardest routes were E3 slabs, but anyone who knew his climbing well would say he could have done considerably harder in the right circumstances. He was very good with his feet and could be worryingly brave. My favourite memory of him is a day soloing on Stanage; my friends and I were perhaps a little ahead of him in this area at the time, and on one route we were waiting for his third go after a couple of alarming abortive attempts when I so far forgot myself as to venture quietly that he didn’t have to do it and it wasn’t a competition. Mike’s reply, delivered with a half-smile, half-snarl, was perfect;

“Of course it’s a f*cking competition, John.”

He did it on his next go. I will remember too his smooth lead of Swanage’s fearsome testpiece Billy Pigg, (after he was ill) and a lovely trip up The Grooves together on the occasion of my 50th birthday. But, as a climber, his main feature was this: of everyone I’ve ever climbed with, he was the most devoted to ensuring that his partner and the rest of the team had a good time. Without ever tipping over into saintliness or losing a salty sense of humour, he was a remarkably unselfish man.

In recent times he climbed less, but enjoyed enormously training for and doing the Fred Whitton last year in a time of 7.50, organising his radiotherapy to fit in with the date. His last climb was before his stag do in the Palm Tree at Mile End a couple of months ago (marrying his partner of 25 years ‘suddenly seemed a good idea’, as he put it); he went down shockingly fast after that.

He and his wonderful wife Louise dealt with his illness as everyone who knew them would have expected, with clear-eyed courage and dignity, heart-breaking courtesy, and a humbling gratitude for what little support friends were able to offer.

The point of climbing is to meet people who are worth meeting. Mike was one of those; it was a privilege to have known him. I and his other friends will miss him terribly.

RIP, or, looking at the same matter in a way Mike would have appreciated more, the rest of you be sure to go hard while you can.

At one time Mike and some of us used to spend a lot of time at Dancing Ledge and in the Square and Compass, and his finest feat there was to do Double or Quits (7a+ - his first route of that grade). None of the rest of us could ever do it.

Mike’s friends will be gathering there on Saturday 18th July and attempting the route as a tribute to him. Anyone who knew Mike either in real life or through his posts on here will be welcome to join us, either at the crag or afterwards in the Square and Compass.

In reply to johncoxmysteriously: Thank you for starting the thread and for such a lovely tribute to Mike.

I too am going to miss him a great deal and send my love to Louise.

I don't have a story to cap that but do want to say that he was a really sweet and kind man and an excellent, amusing, patient, generous person to spend time with at the crag.

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

Thanks John for your beautiful 'introduction to' Mike as a climber and a human being and for the excellent idea of commemorating Mike sweating on his hardest sport send (I can picture him somewhere laughing at our attempts, or mine at least!).

I'd like to add a few words myself, but will do so in the next few days.

In the meantime, I am pasting a link to another moving obituary that has just appeared on the LSE Law website - for those of you who would like to know more about Mike as an academic.

http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/law/news/news-firstpage.htm

Federico

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

Sorry to hear that jcm.

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:
John,

I never met Mike, but having read that piece from you I'm all the more glad that our paths briefly crossed all those years ago.

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

I didn't meet him but he did come across very well on here. Best wishes to you and to his wife.

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

I didn't know Mike either; but he sounds like a top bloke, with a sharp, dry sense of humour, who will be much missed by those who knew him.

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

Thanks for starting this thread. I was fortunate to climb on rock and ice with Mike a few times. He was very tolerant! I was in the Rockhoppers, not the hardest climbing club by any stretch, but lots of fun. He was one of the stars of the club. This was partly for his climbing, which was way better than most of us, but mainly because he was such a great guy.

We climbed together at Froggatt once, when he managed to dislocate his shoulder mid way through Three Pebble Slab. He was more vocal than normal, shall we say, and I shan't forget the screams in a hurry. I also seconded him up Chequers Buttress, I think later the same day quite remarkably. Taller than Mike's slightly short stature, I recall being able to reach the jug at the top of the arete rather than having to follow him in lay backing it. We also went on a few ice climbing trips together to Rjuken, when we was never less than exceptionally good company. A few photos, including one I found of Mike bedded down at Stansted one year when our flight was cancelled: https://flic.kr/s/aHskdV1gTP

It was truly a privilege to know Mike Redmayne and I am terribly, terribly sorry that he has left us so soon. My thoughts are with Louise in particular.

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

Thank you for starting this thread and summing up Mike so brilliantly.

Winston Churchill said of his political enemy Clement Atlee that "he is a very modest man. Indeed he has much to be modest about". Mike was a very modest man, with much to be proud about. He was generally quietly spoken, but the thought that was behind the words lent authority to what he said.

And he climbed in the same way. Our paths briefly crossed, firstly at Mile End, and then on a day climbing in the Peaks, as our grades crossed - mine beginning the descent to mediocraty, his rising into E grades. At the wall he was flexibile, focused, and thoughtful over his moves, outdoors he was calm, unrushed, and authoratative about his climbing. And from reading his obituaries it doesn't surprise me at all to discover that those were the characteristics he displayed at work, and that he was popular and highly regarded by both his peers and his students.

My thoughts are with Louise - he will be sorely missed.

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

I met Mike for one weekend last May, a blind date arranged by JMC when I came back from the US and attended the 60th Rockhoppers Reunion in N Wales [which was largely coordinated by Louise his wife]. I climbed with him for just a few routes in the Pass and Tremadoc, but what I remember is he took time that weekend to accompany me, a visitor and someone he'd never met, in lieu of climbing with his friends. He drove me round, agreed to all my suggestions, provided ropes and gear and belays, and was more than happy to drink coffee at Eric's when it started to rain. A great guy and I wish I'd had the chance to know him better. My thoughts are with Louise

Simon Carr

In reply to NorthDowns:
>and that he was popular and highly regarded by ....... his students.

Possibly even more highly regarded than you think. It would be remiss not to point out at such a time that Mike was a very handsome fellow, and it's presumably too late for the LSE to strike him off or whatever happens to professors, so I feel safe in revealing that a few years ago some of Mike's students (unprompted by any action on his part, of course) started a Facebook group entitled "Mike Redmayne Hot Lecturer". I'd love to link to it but I haven't been able to find it lately; anyone with better IT skills, please do.

I have missed Mike many times since he was taken ill, but one small such occasion was Grant Shapps' recent sock-puppetry problem. It would have provided a convenient opportunity to accuse Mike, one last time, of having himself created this website and/or half the accounts 'liking' it (or whatever one does on Facebook). M always took my childish teasing along these lines in good part, although it was one of the few things which tended to disarm his ready wit.

jcm

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

I feel like crying. I knew Mike through the Rockhoppers and like everyone else has said he was one of the best, very warm, welcoming and encouraging, and with Louise they made a lovely couple. I would have loved to join you on the 18th July but I'm afraid I'll be away.
Nick

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

He was handsome indeed: http://www.lse.ac.uk/newsletters/mannheim/Dec-2013.htm

I looked for the FB page but could not find it.

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

That's a good tribute.

In reply to johncoxmysteriously

A sad loss indeed, he will be greatly missed at the wall!

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:
Thanks for the tribute, John.

One abiding memory that I've got of Mike comes from a Rockhoppers trip to North Wales, when he'd just run the Welsh 3000s in a pretty respectable time. I was sat in the Vaynol Arms with Simon, another Rockhopper, when Mike walked in looking as fresh and neat as if he'd just been for a bimble around the lake.
"What have you been up to today, Mike?" asked Simon.
"Oh, just been for a run..."
I already knew that this was something of an understatement, but he said it with so little front and looked so completely unruffled that Simon took it completely at face value, just said "ah, okay", and got back to his story.

A sad loss - our thoughts are with Louise.

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

I only met Mike in the last year or 2 via Rockhopper trips but unfortunately never had the opportunity to climb with him but those who did spoke about him with great reverence ! He will be greatly missed.

Stephen

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

http://schooloflaw.academicblogs.co.uk/2015/06/11/mike-redmayne-1967-2015/

In reply to struds:

This is really in reply to everyone on this thread, I think.

I am not a climber myself, but a legal academic at UCL who has read a lot of Mike's works. Sadly there doesn't seem to be any kind of forum for criminal law academics but news of Mike's passing has nonetheless spread and I have alerted some to this thread.


I would like to clarify that LSE has consistently led the rankings in research in law (ahead of Oxbridge and UCL) for several years and is widely regarded as having the toughest promotion/appointment criteria. Mike was certainly very modest, but to be promoted to a Chair at just over forty was really a fantastic achievement! He already led his field on theoretical issue underpinning the rules of criminal evidence when he was still in his early to mid career. (Although as John says above, one would not have to be an academic in order to read and appreciate his works; he had a very accessible style of writing).


I would like to note his kindness for younger academics. I recently supervised a PhD student in the area of criminal procedure and she was invited to give a paper in London at a conference aimed at other research students, which was to be chaired by Mike. She was very afraid that someone of Mike's eminence would be able to pick all sorts of holes in it; but nothing of the sort! He rather helped her articulate her ideas and she was floating on air and full of confidence afterwards. It is hard to exaggerate how important it is to encourage younger academics as well as advise them, and to let them find their own way afterwards (Mike was spending his whole day at the conference doing that, it seems).


On my evidence and procedure courses, there are citations to Mike's works almost everywhere. I will be wincing over the next few years when students refer to his works and refer to the author on the assumption that he is still alive and well. If only. But his works will stand the test of time, and will be read by many future generations too.


RIP Mike.

In reply to Jonathan Rogers:

Never met the man but it sounds like academia and climbing need more folk like this, not untimely deaths. Condolences for family and friends. Why not put this in as a UKC article with some photos Alan?

I was one of Mike's students in both his criminal law and evidence classes at LSE.

Now, evidence law is a fairly niche subject within legal academia and LSE doesn't have a large contingency of prospective criminal law professionals so you would expect Mike's classes to be fairly small. But he was so in demand that in, my year, they had to have at least two classes that were actually seminars because of their popularity.

It's no exaggeration that his work, especially on the role of probability in the criminal trial, was groundbreaking. It was one of the first times that someone had approached the issue of evidence in the criminal trial with a mathematical hat on. And it was complicated. But Professor Redmayne had the ability to teach complicated issues within 2 hours so that you left the seminar thinking it really wasn't that difficult at all! And when you disagreed with him, he would genuinely engage with you and was the first to spot (and openly admit) the weaknesses in his own arguments.

In an institution packed with research talent and great teachers, he was the pick of the bunch. He will be greatly missed.

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

Like Jonathan Rogers, I am not a climber, but knew Mike through academia.

I first met Mike at the Gerald Gordon seminar in criminal law in 2012, where he was presenting a paper on bad character evidence (which formed the basis of a chapter in his recent book on the subject - which should be read by everyone involved in evidence and sentencing law, as I say in my review for Archbold Review). Someone at the presentation decided that Mike was speaking nonsense when he suggested that previous acquittals could be used in evidence under the common law (they could), and under the Criminal Justice Act 2003 (they can). A lesser human being would have told the questioner that he was aggressively speaking rubbish (perhaps more colourfully), but Mike - with tremendous warmth and humility - thanked the advocate for his comment, said he thought acquittals could be used in evidence, and didn't make a scene. My subsequent dealings with Mike (he very kindly nudged me to write a piece on bad character in the Modern Law Review, and we were both involved in a Scottish government project last year) confirmed that warmth and humility were large parts of his character.

A tremendous loss. RIP.

Findlay Stark (University of Cambridge)

I was one of Mike’s students in criminal and evidence law and he supervised me in my final year dissertation this year. Just a few weeks ago we debated aspects of the subject he was deeply familiar and passionate about. I found Mike to be one of the best teachers at LSE. Not only could he make a difficult concept seem simple but he always added his own personal style and sense of humour.

Every student I spoke to always praised Mike for being one of the best LSE has to offer - approachable, friendly, genuine and kind. He always put his student’s interests above his own.

He will be missed greatly, but will live on through his notes, journals and books and those of us whom he inspired.
Rest in Peace Mike.

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

I met Mike only once, at John's 50th birthday bash a few years ago. Some wonderful tributes here to someone who was obviously a lovely and talented bloke. I'm sorry that I never had a chance to get to know him. Condolences to his family and friends.

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

Mike was a lovely bloke. Focused and driven but always nice.

I've hadn't seen him for a number of years as I moved away from climbing, and only found out very recently about his illness; and in just enough time to get in touch again. I hope he'd be pleased to know that this has put me back in touch with old climbing mates and that I'm once again wishing I had his strength and determination.

Be at peace Mike.

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:
Some other links:-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Tilman

The original climber who famously so far forgot himself. Mike liked this quote; it was very much in his dry style.

Some students from 2006; fairly authentic-sounding voices! Don't know if they were the Facebookers.

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=294166&page=25

Some academic twittering.

https://twitter.com/profchalmers

A search showing Mike's recent posts. I recommend the one on prostate cancer to anyone who wants to see the measure and style of the man (and bearing in mind of course that he'd recently been diagnosed with incurable prostate cancer). It wasn't about him; it seldom was with Mike.

http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/info/search.php?id=11971

And a search showing his older posts. If anyone wants to see the phenomenon Findlay Stark describes, only in cyberspace, they will find it in several of these.

http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/info/search.php?forum=0&dates=1&name=Mike+...

jcm

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

I didn't know him, and clearly that's my loss. He sounds like a thoroughly top bloke. Condolences to all who knew him.

Regards,

Steve

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

I think I was the research student Jonathan Rogers referred to. I can confirm that I was terrified of presenting my work in front of Mike – particularly as it was a topic he described as being close to his heart. I had been reading a lot of Mike’s work and he was (and still is) a huge influence on me. As Jonathan says, my fears were unfounded. Mike was incredibly kind that day and gave me a huge confidence boost. He listened to my presentation with interest and spent time discussing it with me. He later read and provided comments on drafts of my written work. Although I met Mike only a handful of times since that conference in 2012, he was always kind, witty and interesting.
RIP

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:
Mike was really nice to me. I went climbing with him several times, at the wall and it fontenbleau. Even though I am a child he was still interested in what I had to say. I will miss Mike a lot and I know for a fact that my Dad will too.

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

I never met Mike but I exchanged messages with him on UKC. From your tribute to him it's apparent that he was a great guy.

My condolences to his family and friends.

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

Like many on here, I never met Mike but it's always sad to hear of someone taken from the climbing community too early.

My thoughts are with Mike's family.

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:
Thanks John for a great piece about Mike, this thread is a fitting tribute to a man of such substance.
I first met Mike in 2010 at The Castle, and our first climbing trip was to Guillemot Ledge that summer. He clearly held the same fascination and motivation for climbing as myself, although despite being no slouch with a pair of axes, he had to tolerate a certain amount of abuse for being a fair weather climber and too interested in bolts.

We went on to have some great days on the rock and some of my best climbing experiences were with him- Gypsy at Boulder Ruckle, Tudor Rose, Vember and Scorpio at Cloggy. He was a solid and dependable partner, excellent judgement, ropecraft and a calm head. When I snapped a hold and fell on Tudor Rose he had me safe of course, it was over instantly, and very little was made of it. When he came off on that final move of the traverse pitch on Bosi’s Suicide Wall, he had his prusik out and was ascending up to the stance within seconds of taking the swinger, whilst I was still shaken and alarmed.

Always characteristically generous about my climbing, Mike encouraged me to take on my 1st E3, San Melas, and gave me the confidence to get on it whilst he held the ropes. He was belaying me on my second at that grade too, Appaloosa Sunset. I enjoyed a relatively rare outburst of emotion from the sometimes taciturn man when it was his turn to lead it and, finding himself stood in the pocket in the middle of the protectionless wall with a 5c move ahead of him, he shouted out to no one in particular ‘can someone please tell me what the f*ck I’m doing here!’

In May 2012, months after the diagnosis of cancer, the two of us walked across the Lakes from Shap to Ravenglass, 45 miles over 2 days. He had the stronger legs and stronger mind that weekend. It was he who navigated us off High Raise in the wind and rain as we found ourselves disorientated in bad weather and quickly getting cold. I was grateful for his skill and calm. I inwardly cursed him when, in the lower reaches of Eskdale, after 23 miles over the fells the previous day and 15 that morning, he broke into a jog. Again, I thoroughly enjoyed a rare acknowledgement of attrition when, as we limped into Ravenglass, he muttered something about calling Louise, who was on a club trip in Wasdale, to drive over in order to take his boots off.

I found Mike always tough and stoic but also a sensitive, compassionate and emotional person, and I enjoyed his company for that. Sometimes giving a certain aura of not suffering fools gladly, he was in fact invariably non-judgemental and able to relate to and enjoy the company of those less able than himself, much to my own benefit. Me and my family will always miss him.

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

John, thanks for taking the time to write such a lovely tribute.

The very first route I climbed - or rather didn't climb - with Mike was a bit of a cock-up. I abseiled into the Verdon Gorge, looking for a pair of belay bolts, but found nothing. Instead of stopping I abbed past a bit of overhanging rock and came to the end of the 100m static line on a little ledge. Mike joined me, then immediately started prussicking out, spinning around like a spider above the void. There were no harsh words, no strained silences, just a bit of gentle sarcasm and onto the next route.

We climbed together all week, both in the Gorge and at the outlying bad-weather crags, having a fine time on the excellent Provencal limestone. Then, on the last evening, Mike told us he "had some news to announce" - the beginning of a very harsh journey which ended this week. RIP Mike.

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

It's so sad and my thoughts are with Louise. I knew Mike via RMC. Each time bumped into Mike at a crag such as Winspit, on the occasional visit to mile end, on a trip or down the pub he was always friendly and polite.

The first time I met Mike, can remember Led Zepplin playing the car on the way to Pembroke. I knew Mike was climbing, but didn't know what. The next day Mike and friend were abbing down into a steep looking hole - Huntsman's leap in order to climb up something hard ( whoa).
On the trip the modest Mike continued, he asked me about my job, quite a few questions; when I asked him what he did, the reply was 'oh, I am an academic at LSE'

On the way back to London he appeared to know many of the people in the car park ( friends from mile end)


The last time I saw mike was running past me to the campsite post the RMC 60th anniversary photo, down the Llanberis footpath of snowdon. As I walked down the path on Sunday, I thought of Mike running past and being the first back at the campsite.

Great memories of a great man

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

I would like to emphasise the point already made above that Professor Redmayne was highly regarded by his students.

I was one of his students this year in his Evidence Law class and I can very easily say that his writing was as clear, concise, and informative as his teaching. I found his work on entrapment and character evidence to be some of the most engaging and accessible readings that I have encountered during my undergraduate degree. He had a knack for breaking down complex ideas and communicating them in a way that his students could understand.

Most of his students were not actually aware of his illness since he maintained his wit, humour, and tolerance for stupid questions until the very end. In fact, I remember how he poked fun at us during our final lecture of the Lent term: he joked that the exam would feature a compulsory problem question incorporating all elements of evidence law since we wouldn't stop asking him about what would be on the exam.

Professor Redmayne also found ways to make his lectures more enjoyable for us students. For instance, I found it very entertaining when he read out violent rap lyrics and text messages from drug dealers when discussing whether or not these types of evidence should be admitted in trial.

A quick scan through my Facebook news feed shows the impact Mike had on his students. It is not my intention to misappropriate any of these comments, I simply do not want these kind words to go unseen or to get lost on Facebook:

"One of the funniest and most insightful lecturers I've had at uni. So incredibly sad to lose him at such a young age. RIP Mike"

"An incredible man. I was fortunate enough to have Professor Redmayne as a lecturer, class teacher and dissertation supervisor for my three years at the LSE. He was one of the best academics and people that I have come across and a true role model."

"Rest in Peace Professor Redmayne. My first ever lecture at LSE was given by him and it was arguably the best. His humorous presence at LSE will be sorely missed."

"This man was my first impression of LSE Law. He was someone passionate about what he did, inspired others and had an amazing sense of humor. Rest in Peace Mike."

"Just heard about this piece of devastating news. Professor Redmayne introduced me to law - Criminal Law - and was a huge help to me in my first year. He was brilliant, engaging, and incredibly friendly. His loss is not just a loss to the LSE Law department or to legal scholarship, but to us all. To the man who inspired me so much, and who touched the life of every student he taught - Rest in Peace."

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

I would like to thank everyone who has posted on this thread, so brilliantly set up by John. Although I was with Mike for 25 years I am in awe of how he has touched your lives. These tributes are wonderful and have provided a lot of comfort to me. Below are details of Mike's funeral next week. Everyone is welcome.

Thursday 18th June, 2.00 pm
The West Chapel
Golders Green Crematorium
Hoop Lane
London NW11 7NL

There will be an informal reception from 3.00-5.30 pm at:
The Old Bull and Bush
North End Way
Golders Green
London NW3 7HE
(the pub has a large customer carpark)

Please wear whatever you feel most comfortable in, wear black if you wish, but I'd love you to be relaxed, bright and smiling.

Rather than send flowers to the Crematorium please could you make a donation to the Marie Curie Hospice, where Mike was so well looked after? You can donate online* or there will be a collection basket as you leave the Chapel.

As you may know the 18th June would have been Mike's birthday. My present to him, a keen cyclist, is that his last journey be make by bike. Instead of a traditional black hearse cortege, Mike will ride in a rather wonderful peddle-powered carriage. If you wish to join Mike for one last cycle then please meet me at 1.15pm, with your bike, at the junction of Ingram Avenue and Spaniard's Close NW11:
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/38+Ingram+Ave,+London+NW11+6TL/@51.5722...
The idea is to form a Peloton behind Mike - no break-away attempts please, Mike must take the yellow jersey! I will be jogging beside Mike, so fellow runners please do bring your shoes and join me. The route around Hampstead Heath Extension is about 1.5 miles.

The Peloton will arrive at the Crematorium at about 1.50 pm. If you would like to see it then do wait on Hoop Lane and follow us in up to the West Chapel.

I look forward to seeing you next Thursday if you can make it. I hope it will be a very happy afternoon.

With love
Louise

*link for online donation to Marie Curie http://www.justgiving.com/Louise-Holstein

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

I never got to meet Mike, but he was one of those characters on UKC who came cross as an extremely likeable guy. so this is very sad news and my condolences to yourself and to Mike's family.

As someone who has ground his way around the Fred Whitton, I also know that to put in a time of 7:30 made Mike a bloody good cyclist.

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

Very moving words John. I only met Mike once or twice through you and John G at social gatherings but i know how much you both respected and liked him. He sounds like a remarkable man and reading this i only wish i'd been able to meet and know him more.

RIP Mike

p.s. that's a fantastic Fred Whitton time, chapeau

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

Wow....feel very emotional after reading all of these posts. Thank you to everyone who has contributed. What a great idea John, thank you.

"Uncle Mike" or Mikey mike the bike (as my brother and I used to call him) will be greatly missed by many, amongst family, friends, fellow climbers (and a whole new world to me upon reading these posts) to students and fellow scholars. But how beautiful that his works in law will go on and be quoted/referenced in years to come!

As children Mike was the younger, cooler brother of our dad, we would see him relatively infrequently so it would be a real treat to see "Mikey mike the bike". He'd arrive sometimes with Louise sometimes on his own with his bike usually, with his ear piercing and his vegetarianism (we are talking 20 years ago here) he seemed pretty cool to a 7 year old girl!!

I grew up and many years passed before I saw Mike again. By which time Mike and I had something in common.....climbing!! We both shared this amazing passion and I am very grateful for the fact that we managed to spend some time together climbing. A couple of years ago Mike and Louise visited us at our home in Catalonia. We had a fantastic long weekend together....wine tasting en-route to the crag, climbing, laughing and more drinking!! Mike....who had already been diagnosed at this point didn't seem to let his illness get in the way of any of these things, he climbed hard, and most of all tried really flipping hard. As so many people have written here a very modest, gentle and kind man with a great dry sense of humour! Much like my dad, always putting others needs before his own.

Sadly I won't be able to make it to Mike's bike peddled "send off", it sounds like it will be a true celebration of his life. But i will be thinking of him and remembering him all the same. I am currently working in France, but once I am back in Spain I will be searching out a line at our local climbing venue, "Margalef" that I can bolt for him (I have never bolted a route before) We climbed with Mike and Louise in Margalef together and they loved it, I hope I can find a beautiful line that will be climbed for many years to come. The name of the route I have already chosen.....it was easy to choose "Mikey mike la bicicleta" ....mikey mike the bike of course.....but in Spainsh bicicleta not only means bike but it also means a "drop knee" or "Egyptian" (a climbing term/move for non climbers reading this). I will repost if I can on this thread when I have bolted it to let Mike's climbing buddies know....maybe they can come and try it!!

Well I suppose all I have left to say is rest in peace Mike. Thank you for the role you played in my life and the lives of others. You won't be forgotten.....

Love, Holly xo

In reply to Bean:

Lovely idea, Holly - but, look, you're not going to make this route too hard for us, are you?!

jcm

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

Hey John, no I was thinking around 6c.....or since you guys were working a 7a when you were staying with us....maybe a 7a project!! We will see......

In reply to L Holstein:
The bike-powered funeral peleton sounds like an absolutely wonderful idea. I'm sure it will be wonderful whatever the weather, but I hope you'll have a beautiful sunny afternoon.

In reply to JCM.

John, a moving tribute, it only seems a moment ago that Mike was bemoaning the quality (and remaining quantity) of the wine at your 50th birthday. Although I only met Mike on the odd occasion I can remember his cutting wit and impish sense of humour.

In an age of instant gratification Mike provided for a pause; and to go at that age is at no age at all.

Ciao proles.

In reply to Bean:

This is an excellent idea Holly!
Please keep us posted on the route.

I have no experience in bolting, but this summer I may end up doing some with friends who are very active in the Alpi Apuane (Tuscany), a place where Mike has been a few times. So maybe there will be also an Italian route dedicated to him.

Best,

Federico

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

Lovely and richly deserved tribute John.

It's great to read some of the contributions from Mike's other life, the one unfamiliar to me. I'll miss him.

In reply to duncan:

If anyone wants to read more tributes to Mike from his academic colleagues then the LSE's condolences page is a good place.

http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/law/news/news-firstpage-mr.htm

(Federico linked to it earlier, but there have been many tributes posted since then).

I think a fairly clear picture emerges.

jcm

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

John, I have posted a few images and two videos of Mike's funeral proceedings on Flickr. Most of the images are related to the Rockhoppers CC (of which he was a member) and the members there who knew him but may be of interest to a wider audience?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/crossjh/sets/72157654355840200

John Cross

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

On Times Higher Education

https://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/people/mike-redmayne-1967-2015